“Ready Player One” Plans VR Content

HTC Vive and Warner Bros. Pictures have announced today a partnership which will see the HTC Vive VR system serve as the exclusive VR partner for all content, online and offline activations for Steven Spielberg’s upcoming feature “Ready Player One”.

Based on the novel by Ernest Cline and set in the near future, the story follows outcast teenager Wade Watts (Sheridan) who escapes from his bleak surroundings by logging in to the OASIS – a globally networked virtual utopia where users can lead idyllic alternate lives.

When eccentric billionaire who created the OASIS dies, he offers up his vast fortune as the prize in an elaborate treasure hunt. Along with gamers from around the world, Wade joins the adventure, and quickly finds himself pitted against powerful corporate foes and other ruthless competitors.

As the sci-fi action thriller unfolds largely within the virtual reality space, such a tie-in seems quite fitting. Vive will produce multiple pieces of VR content tied to the world of Ready Player One. This content will be available to users through Viveport, which will distribute the content globally across all VR in-home platforms, from high-end PC based VR systems to mobile solutions.

In addition, Vive plans to bring Ready Player One-inspired content to its Viveport Arcade platform for location-based entertainment as well as showcase the VR experiences and games at many of the biggest global consumer events through the year.

Olivia Cook, Mark Rylance, Simon Pegg, TJ Miller and Ben Mendelsohn also star in “Ready Player One” which is slated for global theatrical release on March 30th 2018.